A Month of Moments
by tenneyshoes
Summary: My submissions for NaruHina Month. Most will be very short little drabbles based on the prompt for each day.
1. Day 1: Sunshine

**So I am a fantastic procrastinator and I started writing this little… thing, at about 3 pm today. I really want to do my share in NH Month, but I am having trouble being inspired by the prompts. I know it's pitiful, but that is my excuse for the brevity and otherwise lackluster performance of this piece today. Hopefully I'll get into the swing of things as the month continues. For now, here it is.**

**NaruHina Month: Day 1**

**Sunshine**

Naruto scuffed his boot in the gray snow, kicking a lump of slush away from him as he leaned against the gatehouse. With his hands buried deep in his pockets he lifted his face up to the murky sky, the blank gray canvas doing little to improve his mood.

He had always hated winter, ever since he was small. It was cold and dark and even going home had given him no respite. Winter was a time of friends and family, a time meant to be spent together and coming home to an empty apartment had only increased his lonliness. His small cold apartment had been very little comfort.

He would try to occupy himself with hours and hours of training, slipping and falling on frozen ground as he tried to master basic forms. Tired and sore he would return to his cold apartment to find that his heat had been turned off again. At the time, he hadn't known it was intentional, a cruel act from a spiteful landlord. He had simply added it to the list of reasons to despise the season.

No, winter held nothing but bad memories for him. It was almost as if the season had been designed to make him miserable. Even the sun abandoned him, disappearing behind drab gray clouds.

A misty cloud puffed out of him in a sigh as he watched big downy flakes begin to drift down from the sky. He hunched his shoulders against the cold and glanced back at the gate, still waiting.

She was different. She _loved_ winter. She loved the cold and the snow. She loved the quiet peace outside and the beautiful white world the snow created. She even liked the longer nights.

Far down the road movement caught his eye and he leaned away from the wall. There she was! Her genin flanked her, all three trudging toward home. They were making good time, eager to get home and Naruto stepped through the gate, just as eager to greet them.

Before he knew it she was there, in his arms and he buried his cold nose in her hair. His arms clamped around her, holding her to him tightly and he smiled when her quiet voice greeted him sweetly. He ignored her genin rolling their eyes at them.

He drew away far enough to see her gorgeous face and saw the sunlight glinting off of her long hair. He couldn't hold back his grin. She always brought out the sunshine, even in the winter. Light attracted light, he mused. And she was the brightest light in the world, a million times better than any sunshine.

He supposed winter wasn't so bad. Not if it brought out that incredible smile.

**XXX**

**Dismally pitiful, I know. I am afraid most of my submissions are going to be short like this one. Hopefully I will be able to get something for one of my other stories though and I'll get something else up soon too.**

**As always, please let me know what you all think!**

**Happy reading! Tenneyshoes**


	2. Day 2: Training Together

**So this prompt gave me considerable trouble. I have already written a little vignette about Naruto and Hinata training together, but I felt it was a bit of a cheat to reuse something I had already written. The problem was, what I had already written was all I could imagine for this particular scenario. So I hummed and hawed and sat on my hands, observing everyone else's wonderful contributions to today, and I finally got an idea. What if it wasn't a physical spar, but something a little more abstract? Therefore, I give to you, a new chapter.**

**NaruHina Month: Day 2**

**Training Together**

_How did I get here?_ Naruto asked himself miserably, only just managing to stop a cringe. He watched Hinata like a hawk, trying to predict her next move. On her beautiful face was the closest thing he had ever seen to a smirk, although there was no malice in her expression. She was simply amused by his struggle.

"Wrong." Naruto chanced a glance at their referee, hoping Hinata wouldn't make a vital move in the second his gaze was distracted. What could he possibly have done wrong this time? He hadn't even moved! Tsunade's bored command was still sharp as a whip as she watched the two face off. Looking back to Hinata, he was disappointed. She had moved and he had missed it. And she wasn't giving him any hints.

With a frustrated growl, Naruto turned to Tsunade, hoping to whine his way out of this.

"Come on, Granny. Why do I have to keep doing this?"

She had bamboozled him into this situation, suggesting something about 'Hokage training' and Naruto had leapt at the opportunity. Lessons in etiquette had not been what he was expecting.

His whining only seemed to annoy the Hokage, however, and she slammed a fist into his head.

"I've already told you!" She obviously had no sympathy for him. "If you want to be Hokage, you need to know how to behave properly!"

"And _you're_ supposed to be teaching me?" Naruto quipped back. "I know I'm not an expert but last I checked, bashing people's heads in and public drunkenness weren't exactly polite!" Naruto was sure Tsunade would have thrown her sake bottle at him if it wouldn't waste the alcohol. She rose to her feet and began lecturing him, but Naruto had lost interest. He didn't even want to be here anyway.

Across the table from him, Hinata hid a small amused smile behind her hand. Despite her denial, Tsunade had enlisted Hinata to help teach Naruto proper etiquette and considering they had only been allowed a small crash course, Naruto felt he had been doing fairly well.

Tsunade had demanded the two face off to see what Naruto had learned, and now he was stuck in the Hokage Tower, being trained in etiquette by a grouchy old bat of a woman and his beautiful girlfriend. It was a spar unlike any other he had been forced to endure, and it was not one he was winning.

"Now again!" Tsunade barked harshly. "Which comes first?"

Naruto turned to her and raised his eyebrows in a clueless expression. He wasn't even sure what she was talking about! A subtle cough drew his attention and Naruto turned to Hinata, briefly, to find himself provided with a hint. With a nearly imperceptible nod of her head, Hinata indicated his tea cup, and Naruto remembered what he was supposed to do. With a bright, proud smile, he offered Tsunade his tea cup.

"Wrong!"

Nursing the new lump on his head Naruto grumbled to himself. _Who wants to train in manners anyway?_

**XXX**

**As always, let me know what you think! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, you know how I adore reviews! Unfortunately, because I will be working on putting out a new prompt every day, I don't think I will have time to reply to each review for this story, unless I feel one is highly necessary. Please, though, don't let that stop you from telling me what you think. I want to be better, and your guys' criticism does worlds of good!**

**To all those that have followed or favorited this, Thank you!**

**Happy reading!**


	3. Day 3: College AU

**This one was a bit of a struggle. I feel I've had a very different college experience from most people, and so I'm not sure how this is really going to play out. **

**NaruHina Month: Day 3**

**College AU**

Applause filled the theater as Hinata slumped into her chair and leaned against the sound board. Opening night had been a wreck! At least, it had been on her end. She ignored the curtain call, heatedly denying herself the chance to stare at the leading man in her misery.

She absently cued the preshow music as the actors filed off stage and the house lights came up.

"I'll go collect the mics," Moegi offered sympathetically, before hopping out of her chair and bounding out of the auditorium.

Listlessly, Hinata picked up one of the broken body packs and its estranged antennae, examining the ruined components.

It was just her luck that her final year at Snow College had to be a disaster. This year's musical was supposed to be spectacular, a wonderful sound design she would be able to take to competition, but it seemed the universe had conspired against her. She hadn't been able to design anything for the show beyond the absolute necessities because her outdated equipment had been falling apart at the seams.

"I suppose that's all I can expect when my _good_ mics are at least ten years old," she mused to herself, carefully placing the ruined piece in a bag to be repaired tomorrow before the show.

This wasn't how sound was supposed to go. She should have been able to run everything from behind her board, but instead, Hinata had spent the entire first act back stage in a vain attempt to keep actors miced. She had been transferring microphones from actor to actor between scenes and occasionally in the middle of them to make sure the audience could hear, but despite all of her attempt, it seemed she'd had no luck.

"Deliver for Miss Hyuga!" Hinata was startled by the sudden masculine voice. She spun around, broken microphone still in hand and came face to face with Naruto Uzumaki, leading man, and object of her overactive crush. He was smiling that incredible smile that made her heart pound and in his hand was a box filled with a mess of mic packs and cables.

"Where's Moegi?" she asked, timidly taking the box from him so she would have something to do besides blush. She busily turned her back on him and began to store her mics as she listened.

"Her parents came to see the show tonight, so I offered to bring you the mics so she could go meet them." He leaned against the side of her booth casually and watched her work. "You did really good tonight," he complimented.

She cringed at his undeserved praise. "Hardly," she argued. "Tonight was a disaster. Three microphones broke, Konohamaru's mic went out for his entire solo, and you had interference all night no matter whose mic I gave you. The audience was probably ready to kill me." She knew she was being a kill joy. Aside from the abysmal sound, opening night had been fantastic. The cast had performed their best run yet, with incredible energy, the crew hadn't made a single mistake and the lights had been incredible.

_But that just makes my mistakes all the worse,_ Hinata thought miserably. If she had been able to make the microphones work, tonight would have been the perfect run.

"Don't be so hard on yourself!" Naruto insisted. "You're the best sound tech we've got!"

"Only because there isn't anyone else interested in it," Hinata argued. "I'm the only sound tech you've got."

"Hinata, you're equipment is outdated and hammered. The fact that you can make any of it work is nothing short of a miracle! You were repairing mics in the middle of the show! You're a _great_ sound tech." He had stepped up to her now, the sincerity obvious in his voice and face.

The fact that his close proximity didn't force a blush onto Hinata's face was a testament to how truly miserable she was. He could see he wasn't getting through to her and his shoulders straightened defiantly.

"What would make you happy?" he asked shortly and Hinata returned to storing her equipment.

"Functioning microphones," she quipped, finally packing away the last microphone and locking the closet beside her board. She turned to push the sound board back into place so she could close the case when his hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You need to smile more," he said cryptically before swooping in and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

In an instant, Hinata's blush had flared to life and she gaped at him. "Would you like to get together sometime, outside of the theater?" he asked cheerfully. "After the show closes, of course!"

Hinata could only stare at him. Events had taken a rather unexpected turn and she was having trouble keeping up. Was Naruto Uzumaki, the lead in the musical seriously asking her out?

"I know you're super busy with shows and school and stuff, but I would really like to spend more time with you. When you're not totally stressing over crappy mics. How 'bout it?"

Shaking herself, Hinata forced her mind to focus. "Sure?" Naruto's entire face lit up and he seemed to relax a little.

"Awesome! What else do you still have to do?" he asked, stepping closer to the board, a somewhat clueless look on his face.

"Um, the amps still-"

"Amps are off! Moegi's voice resounded through the auditorium, drawing Hinata's attention to the stage. Down by the front row, Moegi was leaning through the door. "I'm heading out. Good job tonight, Hinata!" she shouted before disappearing through the door.

"I guess that's it then," Hinata replied. Quickly locking the board, she toed off the power switch and grabbed her bag.

"I'll walk you home then!" Naruto announced, offering his arm. With a small blush still coloring her face Hinata looped her arm through his and allowed herself to be led out of the theater.

_Perhaps opening night wasn't such a disaster_, she admitted with a small smile.

**XXX**

**So, for any of you thespians that may be doubting if what Hinata did during that show was possible, it is. I know because I did it. Not trying to toot my own horn or nothing, but I ran a show where my microphones were literally falling apart. It may not have been the best sound, but I didn't get many complaints which I felt must mean a success. **

**What killed me is that even after a disastrous run, sound wise, my professor still went and dumped $22000 into new LED cyc lights and LED down light instead of investing in new microphones. I could have died. In fact a small part of me does, every time I think about it.**

**Anyways, let me know what you think! Happy NH Month!**

**Happy reading! Tenneyshoes**


	4. Day 4: Smile

**I had trouble with todays prompt until I really just sat and started writing! I procrastinated it all morning until I had to leave for work and then I got home and saw all of the wonderful contributions for today and said to myself 'crap, I have to write **_**something!**_**' So here it is!**

**NaruHina Month: Day 4**

**Smile**

She wasn't paying any attention to him. She was entranced in a book that she'd been reading for hours. She was curled into the corner of the couch, a warm blanket over her legs and a mug of hot chocolate by her side as she flipped through the pages.

It was snowing outside, a large storm, and Naruto had been trapped inside all day. He knew she had been looking forward to this book for months and so had tried to stay out of her hair so she could enjoy it, but he had run out of things to do.

He had flipped through his own favorite book, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja, rereading his favorite parts, filled out a neglected mission report, sharpened each and every one of his kunai and shuriken, entertained himself for an entire hour and a half by playing with a Rasengan, and even cleaned the kitchen! He was bored. He now lay, spread-eagle, on the floor tossing a ball at the ceiling and catching it over and over, trying not to bother Hinata.

He couldn't help himself. His eyes flickered to her again as he caught the ball. Her hair was pulled into a messy braid and draped over one shoulder, blending in with his ratty old t-shirt she was wearing. The toes on one foot peeked out from beneath the blanket and even as he watched her she tucked them back in.

Suddenly, he knew what would entertain him! He would watch her and count how many times she smiled! Naruto rolled onto his stomach and propped his chin on his hands, watching his wife intently.

She blinked, turning a page.

Without looking away from the page, she reached out for her mug, drawing it halfway to her lips before pausing. For a moment, she sat frozen, her mug suspended before, slowly, she set it down again, pulling her book a little closer.

She shifted, turning another page.

Quickly, Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall. He had been watching her for nearly fifteen minutes, and she hadn't smiled once! Trying to contain his grumbling, Naruto rolled the ball against the floor.

All he wanted was one little smile. Was that too much to ask? He didn't think so. He just wanted to watch those pretty lips that he loved to kiss curve in that gorgeous smile that took his breath away. Or even the hint of a smile would satisfy him at this point.

Naruto wasn't sure he really liked this new book of hers. It must not be very happy if she hadn't smiled in nearly twenty minutes. And he didn't like things that didn't make Hinata happy.

Another page turned. Still no smile.

Annoyed and still bored, Naruto rolled the ball against the floor harder, taking out his frustration on the small rubber sphere.

With the force he was exerting on it, the ball flew out of his hand, bouncing against the floor and leaping up to hit Hinata in the shoulder. Naruto's entire body froze as Hinata jumped, startled, and turned to look at him.

Caught in the act, Naruto tried to smile at her apologetically and Hinata looked down to her lap where the culprit had settled. Carefully she picked it up and looked back at him.

There it was! That manificiently stunning smile nearly floored him. He felt his mouth quirk into a goofy grin as he watched her, barely managing to catch the ball when she tossed it back to him.

Books may be bad, he decided, but little rubber balls were awesome!

**XXX**

**600 words even! That doesn't happen often. What did you think? I'm loving all of these favorites and alerts I'm getting guys, but please! Tell me WHY I'm getting them! It will do wonders for my writing!**

**Happy reading!**

**Tenneyshoes**


	5. Day 5: Ramen

**Today's prompt was probably the hardest thus far. Hopefully it will remain the hardest and the others will come easier. Anyway, thank you all for your wonderful support! My email is overflowing with notifications of favorites and follows!**

**NaruHina Month: Day 5**

**Ramen**

The boom of thunder was loud enough to shake the house as Naruto slipped through the front door. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Naruto squelched out of his sandals and shrugged off his soggy jacket. It was late and he was sure Hinata was already in bed. The storm had delayed them.

The house was dark and Naruto quickly locked the front door, activating the seals, before quietly venturing further inside. A quick peek into the kitchen showed Naruto that Hinata had already put dinner away. It wasn't a big deal, he was too tired to really consider eating at this hour anyway. All he really wanted was to collapse into bed beside his wife and sleep for the next week or so.

Their bedroom was dark, only occasional flashes threw the room into contrast as lighting flared with the rolling thunder. Naruto shivered, remembering trying to run through that storm only hours before. It had been hell! But he had been eager to return home.

Naruto quickly shed his wet clothes, draping them over the back of a chair in the corner to dry, before climbing into bed, not bothering with new pajamas, or even underclothes. It wasn't like Hinata would mind his nakedness.

Trying not to wake his sweet wife, Naruto wrapped a cold arm around her waist, taking in her comfortable warmth even through the covers. He sidled up behind her, pressing his body against hers to soak up her warmth and bring a little life back into his frozen flesh. Despite his care, Hinata was a light sleeper and she stirred, the ball of her foot pressing into his shin. For once, her toes were warmer than him.

"'Ruto?" Her voice was still sleepy, and her body was sluggish as she slowly turned to face him. He flashed a cocky smirk at her in the dark and pulled her closer by her waist.

"Were you expecting someone else to come crawling into your bed?" he teased easily.

"When did you get home?" she asked instead, ignoring his remark in favor of cuddling under his chin. "You're absolutely freezing!" Her warm fingers pressed into his side, rubbing against his ribs to warm him and he buried his nose in her hair.

"Just a few minutes ago. I figured running through the storm for an hour or two to a warm house and an even warmer wife would be better than spending the night in some crummy cave." Her knee knocked against his, chastising him for his teasing this late at night, but she failed to hide her amused smile from him.

"You're probably going to get sick because of this," she scolded halfheartedly.

"So warm me up, Hime," he challenged, nudging her forehead with his nose. She knew exactly what he wanted. With slow deliberate motions, Hinata placed both of her warm palms on his chilled cheeks and lifted her face. Her warm lips sealed over his in a kiss that warmed him down to his toes.

He hummed against her lips contently, his toes curling around her ankle as he held her closer. When she pulled away he couldn't help but tease her a little more.

"You taste like ramen," he whispered against her lips, pressing their foreheads together. "That's not very nice, not saving any for _me_."

Her laugh warmed him just as easily as her kiss had.

**XXX**

**Like I said, this was the hardest prompt so far. Ramen is barely even in there. But I feel like everyone always writes about Naruto and ramen and there are only so many variations left. I know it's barely there and I am sorry. I will try harder tomorrow.**

**Happy reading!**

**Tenneyshoes**


	6. Day 6: Pregnancy

**So, I know that those who write against are trash. And that those who write NaruHina angst are even worse than trash. I am worse than trash, and I am sorry! It begged to be written.**

**NaruHina Month: Day 6**

**Pregnancy**

He was floating.

It should have been a strange sensation, suspended in nothing, completely weightless, but it felt normal somehow. Natural.

He couldn't have guess how long he'd been there. Time didn't really exist. He simply _was._

And then his reality began to change. A light grew, in the distance. And in the center of that light was something he needed, desperately. He began moving towards it. Running, swimming, wading, slogging through the darkness, he wasn't sure. It took longer than he wanted and with each passing second he became more anxious.

After what must have been an age, he reached the light. She was there, kneeling in the middle of that bright pool of brightness, with her back to him. Her long hair hung down her back in a curtain of dark silk. She was dressed in that loose uniform her family favored, the light colors contrasting with her hair.

He wanted to reach her, but every time he moved she did too. Not by any effort of her own. She simply stayed just out of reach from him. The farther he stretched, the farther she went, until he stopped trying.

He tired calling her name, his mouth forming the syllables and consonants he loved, but still she would not turn to him. He began to worry. Had he upset her? He called her name again, with more urgency, but still, she would not heed him and he tried again, in vain, to reach her.

Belatedly, he realized he was growing weaker. His body, which before had been as weightless as a feather, now felt like cast iron, heavy and immovable. His shoulder slouched under the weight of exhaustion and he could barely lift his hand, still desperate to reach her, even as he was driven to his knees.

When it was all he could do to lift his head enough to see her, she finally turned, as if she was on a rotating platform. The reason for his desperation to reach her was finally revealed.

Her eyes were gone. Where once, two beautiful silver irises, pale as stars has once shined out at him, now only gaping holes taunted him, rimmed by raw red skin. A silent breeze tugged at her bangs and on her once flawless brow, a hideous green seal glowed, leering at him.

If her eyes had still been in place, they would be glaring at him, accusing him for letting this happen to her. He could not tear his eyes from her, even as she lowered her head, her hands rising to cradle her swollen belly, round with their child, and to his horror that same awful seal glowed for to life before she was swallowed by a pool of shadows.

Naruto jackknifed out of bed, his skin clammy with sweat and the sheets tangled around his legs. His hands shook as he turned to his side and ripped the sheets from Hinata's body, startling her awake. With anxious haste, he tugged on her nightshirt, pulling it up to expose her stomach, as heavy with child as it had been in his nightmare. He still could not stop the shaking as he smoothed his hand over her body, as if his hands could find the seal his eyes did not see.

It wasn't until her palm pressed against his cheek that he realized she had called his name. His eyes flashed up to hers, adrenaline and panic still coursing through his system, and belatedly he realized he was crying as her thumb brushed away his tears.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice calm and soothing, but he could see the worry in her eyes. Her stunning, beautiful, magnificent eyes. His fingers roughly shoved her bangs up and he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when he saw nothing but smooth pale skin. Cupping the back of her head, he pressed his lips to her brow, relief finally beginning to calm his shattered nerves.

"Naruto," she called again, a hand on his chest to push him away so she could see him. "What is going on? Are you all right?"

As the panic drained away, he realized how ridiculous he was acting. With a quick glance of the clock he realized he had just jarred his heavily pregnant wife awake at three in the morning, for absolutely no reason. He had simply lost his mind over a stupid dream. He was grateful it was dark in their room, hoping it would hide the heat of his sudden blush.

Clearing his throat, Naruto leaned away from her. "Sorry. I'm fine. Go back to sleep." He tried to flash her one of his confident smiles, the ones he always used to reassure people, even when he wasn't fine, but she knew him better than that. She was not cowed, and instead reached for him again.

"Naruto." His name on her lips was a reprimand as much as a question.

He shook her hand off and gently pressed on her shoulder, trying to make her lay down. "It was nothing. Just a nightmare. I'm fine," he insisted, but she would not be ignored.

"Was it the war?" He had those sometimes. Flashbacks and horribly twisted dreams. He saw things as they had happened and as they could have happened and they often drew him from sleep, screaming. Reluctantly, he shook his head. He did not want to tell her. It would only upset her.

"I'm not going back to sleep until you tell me," she told him stubbornly, catching his hand and lacing their fingers together. Slowly, he began describing his dream to her.

She listened in silence, only squeezing his fingers encouragingly when he faltered. When he described the seal she cradled his face and he realized he was crying again.

"I can't let that happen to you," he whispered as he held her tightly, his fingers twisting in the material of her nightshirt. "They _can't_ seal you. They can't seal our _baby_."

"They're not going to," she promised, brushing her thumbs over the marks on his cheeks. "I will _never_ let that happen. _We_ will never let it happen. I promise." He met her gaze, saw her determination like molten steel, bolstering him. Needing her comfort, he ducked his head, brushing his lips against hers, his hands resting over their child, shielding it.

"I love you, so much," he murmured against her lips. He could fee her lips draw into a smile.

"I love you," she echoed, just as tenderly. "That's exactly why you don't need to worry. We _will_ change the Hyuga."

**XXX**

**So obviously, another prompt that kicked my butt. And on top of it, I'm late. I apologize, I was distracted by Into the Woods. In my defense, it is my all-time favorite musical and I am obsessed with it. I will be on time tomorrow…hopefully.**

**Happy reading!**

**Tenneyshoes**


	7. Day 7: Wedding Plans

**Once again, I had no idea what to do for today's prompt. I expected this, and almost decided not to even participate in NH Month because I am doubting if I'll be able to pull this off. But here is today's contribution.**

**NaruHina Month: Day 7**

**Wedding Plans**

Naruto's forehead met the table. He didn't bother lifting his face again as he spoke to Hinata.

"Why are we doing this again?" he asked miserably. "We did our time!"

"This is important, Naruto," she replied, flipping through a book of flower arrangements. "This wedding has to be perfect." Naruto didn't really believe there was a snowballs chance in hell of this wedding being perfect, but he knew Hinata was going to try her damndest, and he was heavily biased.

"But why _us_? Why are _we_ doing all of this?" He groaned, flicking a picture of a gaudy cake away from him.

Instead of answering him, Hinata asked a question of her own. He did not miss the amused tone in her voice. "Have you finished addressing the invitations? We need to send them out by the end of the week."

"Yes, 'Nata, I addressed _all_ of them. And I'm going to have the carpal tunnel to prove it."

Before Hinata could reply, the front door slammed open and an overly excited young woman burst into the kitchen.

"Mama! Look at these designs I found for a dress!"

Himawari Uzumaki's entire face was lit up as bright as the sun as she kicked off her shoes and skidded to her mother's side. Her arms were overflowing with books and loose papers. As Naruto watched his excited daughter he reconsidered his foul mood.

His little Hima's face was flushed brightly, reminding him strongly of her mother, her excitement brimming through her eyes as she bounced on her toes as she laid out her research for her mother.

Absolute, unadulterated joy. Naruto had no other words to describe his daughter. She was so inexplicably happy. It reminded him of the preparations for his own wedding, years earlier.

His wrists ached a little less. His little sunflower was worth all of it.

**XXX**

**I'll be honest, wedding plans are not something that interest me terribly, especially Naruto and Hinata's. The fact that they did get married is all that I care about. So I took a slightly different approach to today's prompt. It is my first time writing one of NH's canon kids, and I love her to death. For future reference, in this series it will be entirely canon, so no little Jiraiya will appear from TPWW. He will remain solely in Sparks**

**Happy reading!**

**Tenneyshoes**


	8. Day 8: Secret Lovers

**Today's prompt was one of those that I just have a hard time wrapping my head around when it comes to this pairing. It just doesn't fit them. A lot like the drunk ones. I have a headcanon that Naruto can't get drunk because of Kurama's healing ability and Hinata has absolutely no desire to get drunk and no amount of coercion will induce her to get drunk. It's just not them. In much the same way, both Naruto and Hinata are incredibly open people and the idea that they would hide a relationship with each other just does not mesh with my view of their characters. And so, here is my response to this.**

**NaruHina Month: Day 8**

**Secret Lovers**

Naruto laughed when he heard the expression. He was nearly on the floor in tears when someone suggested it had applied to him and Hinata.

Secret Lovers? There was nothing secret about them! Why would a person want to keep something like that a secret anyway? The world was difficult and dark and unkind enough as it was. Why hide something that would bring light?

The only logical explanation was that they must not really be in love, which then could only logically mean that Naruto and Hinata could _never_ be secret lovers. He had never loved someone as deeply, powerfully, forcefully and completely as he loved Hinata.

As far as he could figure, if a man truly loved a woman, honest to goodness _love_, there was no force on earth that could stop him from declaring it.

Naruto Uzumaki loved Hinata Hyuga and he wanted everyone to know it. He loved her eyes and her hair and her soft voice and her gentle kindness and her fierce determination and her unyielding resolve to do what was right, no matter the consequences. He loved her smile and her laugh, and loved being the one to bring them out even more. He loved kissing her and holding her and looking at her and thinking about her. And he loved when she held him back, encircling him in her warm embrace and making him feel safer than he ever had in his life.

And now that he had found something, someone, that made his so astonishingly, undeniably happy, there was no way he was going to keep it a secret. All of Konoha knew the moment Hinata had agreed to let him walk beside her for the rest of their lives.

Yes, Naruto concluded. Secret Lovers was a stupid idea.

**XXX**

**As always, let me know what you think! Also, get excited for tomorrow's prompt. Unless my days are wrong, tomorrow is the LOTR AU and I am **_**so stoked!**_** Words cannot express my love of LOTR and I am so excited for what I've got for tomorrow. It is going to be considerably longer than most of these submissions simply because I love it so so so so much! Now I just need to go write it. I've got it all planned out, I've just been too lazy to write it. **

**Happy reading!**

**Tenneyshoes**


	9. Day 9: Lord of the Rings AU

**So what happened yesterday, guys? Yesterday's chapter had more than 100 more views than the day before, but only three reviews. Did your review buttons break? I was pounding through today's chapter and then saw that and got mightily discouraged! Only my love of LOTR, Naruto, and crossovers made me finish this. That, and gabydlcrz pming me about patiently waiting for this one. I have put a LOT of effort into today's prompt, so please! Let me know what you think!**

**NaruHina Month: Day 9**

**Lord of the Rings AU**

Naruto swirled the mead in his cup and only just resisted releasing a dramatically mournful sigh. In the brightly lit hall around him revelers carried on in their celebration, not the least bit disturbed by their king's melancholy.

Despite his poor mood, Naruto couldn't bring himself to blame them. It was the third night of Yule and his people had much to be happy for. It had been a good year. A long spring with a mild summer had blessed the Rohirrim with a bountiful harvest. A calm late winter had followed and the people celebrated the success of the year.

His people were beginning to recover from the horrors the war had left on the world. It had been three years since the Dark Lord had been defeated and an age of peace had begun. With a strong alliance between their own country and their neighbors to the south, bolstered by the brotherhood between their two kings, the world had begun to mend and move forward.

Soldiers returned to their farms and herds, grateful to be with their families and in a few years, Naruto hoped they would be able to begin trading with their allies again.

Alas, all of these blessings were not enough in the eyes of his council.

A heavy hand pulled Naruto from his sour musings and he looked over his shoulder to find his brother in all but blood, Sasuke, with a mug of his own. The dark haired king straddled the bench beside Naruto and pinned him with a stern gaze.

"What has you so down? Should you not be celebrating with your people? You have much to be thankful for." The last of the Uchiha and King of the reunited Gondor and Arnor was in an overwhelmingly pleasant mood tonight, noticeable by his lack of a scowl.

Naruto scoffed and returned to watching his mead. "I am well aware of it, Sasuke. Unfortunately, my lack of a wife and unwillingness to find one seems to overshadow everything."

"Surely it can't be that difficult to find a willing woman, even for an idiot like you?" Sasuke needled good-naturedly and again, Naruto scoffed.

"Says the man happily married to his very own elvish princess," he quipped back with a nod to the ethereal beauty dancing with one of his riders in the middle of the hall. He did not miss Sasuke's tender smile as he indulged in the sight of his hard-won wife.

"It was no easy task getting her. Surely finding a willing woman could not be so difficult. Or are you also looking for an elvish maiden?" Sasuke gently kicked Naruto's boot under the table, teasing him. Before the blond king could reply one of his riders, and his best friend, joined them at the table.

"Hail, Naruto-King!" Kiba greeted with a raised tankard of mead. Naruto merely raised two fingers in greeting.

"It would seem our king is heartsick," Sasuke informed the newcomer, and Kiba's face lit up in interest.

"_Is_ he now?" Kiba sprawled onto the bench across the table and leaned forward eagerly. "And which beautiful maiden has caught the eye of our wily king?" It was a well-known fact that although the young king had no shortage of admirers in Edoras he never gave any of them a second thought. This was the first Kiba had heard of the King showing any interest in love.

"No one here," Naruto dodged, taking a swig of his mead.

"Oh-ho!" Kiba crowed enthusiastically. "And when would you have met this mysterious dame? You haven't left Edoras in months."

"It's no one!" Naruto insisted, earning skeptical looks from his companions.

"Maybe not now, but there _was_ someone," Sasuke inferred with a knowing look.

"It doesn't matter now, it was years ago. Before the war ended." Naruto miserably dipped his nose into his cup to avoid their gazes, but he could not block out Kiba's amused laugh.

"Come now, Naruto! We've known each other since before we could ride, you must tell me!" Kiba insisted jovially. The two had been through nearly everything together and he had never known the bright king to harbor feelings for any woman. As a young rider in an increasingly dangerous world, he simply hadn't had the time.

Reluctantly, Naruto spoke. "There was a girl, a woman," he corrected himself, picturing her face in his mind. "In Minas Tirith. She had some skill in healing and she tended to me after the battle on the field."

Kiba's amusement dried up in an instant and he leveled his king with a serious look.

"Naruto, please, tell me you weren't stupid enough to fall in love with a one night lay," Kiba begged. When his king did nothing to deny his accusation the man groaned and took a long draw from his mug before speaking. "Well, what happened? Did she not find you pleasing enough?"

"It wasn't like that!" Naruto growled angrily.

"Did her husband return from the battle?" Sasuke guessed, but Naruto shook his head.

"Maybe. I don't know." His sullen mood seemed to compound, his misery only growing with the memory of her. "I could not find her when I returned from Cormallen."

"Did she expect you to return?" Sasuke asked, surprisingly sympathetic.

"I promised her I would."

XXX

In the solitude of his room Naruto allowed himself to remember her. He knew her face by heart, had memorized every plane of her features and every hair on her head. It would have been difficult not to when he saw her every night in his dreams.

Her beautiful hair, as dark as a moonless summer night had rippled down her back and cascaded over her shoulders, tangled in his fingers. Her stunning eyes had entranced him, placed him under an unbreakable spell that he had no desire to ever escape.

She had given him comfort like he had never known before. It had been about more than just sex. She had held him the way a lover did, the way he imagined a wife held her husband. She had loved him and soothed his troubled mind. She had allowed him an escape, for that night at least, to forget about the war and the certain doom they would march to the next day. It had been a quiet reprieve between the horrors of battle and he wanted nothing more than to find her again. As he lay in bed, he relieved the memory.

XXX

_The Houses of Healing were certainly something to behold. Even in the ruined and rotting city the airy corridors and light paths of the Houses held a soothing environment that calmed him. The serene moment was broken when hurried footsteps rushed down the hall._

_A girl in a gray shift rounded a corner and jumped in surprise when she spotted the dirty, bloodied foreigner before her. It was her small little 'eep', like the sound a mouse makes, that brought her to his attention. She was carrying a cloth and a bowl of water with a disturbingly pink tint and her hair was twisted back into a knot at the nape of her neck. It was her eyes, however, that captivated him. Beautiful, pale, molten silver. They carried a life he had never seen before in another person and he wanted to speak with her._

_Her surprise seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come and shyly she stepped toward him._

"_Is there something I can do for you, My Lord?" she asked in a soft voice. Even so, her words jolted him from his enchantment and he nodded to his limp arm._

"_I could use some healing," he admitted, slightly proud he had managed to string a sentence together in lieu of her captivating presence. "Is there a healer available?"_

_The girl grimaced and raised a knuckle to her lips uncertainly. "Many of our healers are preoccupied with dire cases. If it's not anything too lethal, I could have a look at you?" A moment after she spoke she seemed to realize how bold her choice of words was and her face flushed crimson. She began to stutter out an apology mixed with an explanation, trying to phrase her words better and, charmed, Naruto accepted her offer as it had been intended rather than stated._

"_I would be most grateful, Lady. My arm was injured in the battle on the field outside the city. I would appreciate any help you could offer." She peeked at him through her lashes before she seemed to gain some confidence. Her shoulders squared and her back straightened before she nodded decisively._

"_I will do my best. If you'll just follow me." She led him down the corridor, in the direction she had been headed and turned into a small room that must have been a storage closet. It was small and the walls were lined with shelves but Naruto wasn't surprised to see most of them empty. Minas Tirith had fallen on hard times long before the Black Armies had marched on her gates. The girl quickly set her bowl and cloth on the small table in the center of the room and pulled a stool from the corner, implying that he could take a seat._

"_If you could just remove your armor, I'll take a look at your arm." She was waiting expectantly and Naruto briefly wondered if she would faint if he asked her, but there was no way around it._

"_My armor is a bit difficult to manage on my own. It's nigh impossible with my arm as it is. Would it be too bold to request your assistance?" It was not his intention to scandalize her, but he would need the help. She fared better than he had expected however. Although her face once again colored in that charming blush, she stumbled through a yes, and stepped toward him._

_She raised her hands and he noticed for the first time just how petite she was. Her head barely met his chin and he wondered if she would have trouble with the large buckles that held his armor together. She seemed at a loss for a moment and he directed her to the first set of buckles under one arm._

_Surprisingly, she was rather efficient and he wondered how many other soldiers she had assisted before this. Given the fact that she was working in the Houses after a siege, the number was probably higher than he cared to think about. Although the heavy leather and metal plates were a bit too heavy for her, she did a fair job, trying to gently lay the pieces on the table as each was removed._

_Before long, he stood before her in his breeches and a bloodied linen shirt. Her eyes were already keenly examining his injured arm. He sat on the stool and gritted his teeth as she prodded at his shoulder, sending waves of pain coursing through him._

"_I'm sorry," she murmured as she gently looked him over. Soon enough, she stepped back and told him what she had found. "Your shoulder has dislocated. The injury is enflamed and badly swollen. How long has it been like this?"_

_Naruto shrugged with his good shoulder. It had happened some time during the battle. At the time it was either kill or be killed and in the swirling rush that was war, time moved differently. He had no idea how early in the battle he had been hurt. However it had been nearly a day since the battle had ended and he had come looking for someone to tend to it. He had been more preoccupied with his wounded men and Jiraiya's death on the field to worry about an injured arm._

_His casual negligence seemed to upset her, however. She frowned down at him as he sat on the wooden stool, her small hands fisted on her hips, and she scolded him._

"_How could you let this injury just sit? You should have come to the Houses as soon as the battle was over!" She seemed genuinely upset with him but her scolding made him feel like a child and he did not appreciate it._

"_There were others that required the skills of the healers far more than I. It is a small injury and I'll have it seen to when I return to my camp." He knew he was being rude but she had pricked his pride. Many of his men had been seriously wounded and they were still counting the dead. His arm had been the least of his concerns. But as he stood from the stool to leave she stopped him._

"_You'll do no such thing. I'll take care of it right here." He ignored her, staring straight over her head as he stepped to the door but he had underestimated her determination. Her small hand, cool against his enflamed shoulder even through his shirt, clamped down on his injury and she squeezed, steering him back to the stool. He gasped and tried to wriggle out of her reach but her fingers were like iron and resisting only caused more pain. With a gasp, he collapsed onto the stool again._

"_What is it about you men from the North?" the girl grumbled to herself. "It's almost as if you don't _want _to be healed." With hands more gentle than before, she took his arm and slowly rotated it. "This is going to hurt," she informed him. He opened his mouth to make some rude remark about being no stranger to pain, but she slammed his shoulder back into place, stealing his breath before he could._

_Belatedly, he realized that this tiny diminutive woman had not even flinched at relocating a man's bones. In an absent part of his brain, he was impressed. She was already speaking when he gathered his wits again._

"_You'll want to be careful with that. Try to avoid using it unless you have to for the next few days." She was dealing with the bowl of water and the cloth now, her back to him and carefully, he rotated his shoulder, testing its limits._

"_I'm afraid I can't do that, My Lady. We march on the Black Gate tomorrow." The bowl slipped from her hands, banging against the wooden table, sloshing water, and she whirled around to face him._

"_Tomorrow?!" Her face was washed in horror and shock. "No! No, you can't fight, not with that arm. You'll injure it again, perhaps worse."_

"_I must lead my men. Would you have me hide behind these walls while they marched to war without me?" He challenged angrily. He was beginning to tire of her uncanny ability to prick his pride. He normally would take more care with both his tone and his temper in the presence of a lady, but his annoyance was beginning to show and she seemed to wilt a little under the force of his anger._

_She avoided his eyes and leaned back against the table._

"_If you try to fight with that arm, you could die," she insisted quietly. Naruto was taken aback by the overwhelming sincerity in her voice. She was truly worried for him. But he would not hide while his men went to war. They had already lost their prince in an orc raid and their king on the Pelennor. He would not leave them leaderless._

"_I appreciate your looking after my arm," he told her gently, "but I must lead my men."_

_Her eyes met his for a brief moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity._

_He lost himself in those beautiful silver pools. He had heard tales of elves as a child but they had only ever been distant stories to him. Now looking into this woman's face, he believed for the first time that, perhaps, elves still walked Middle-Earth._

_She knew she could not dissuade him, and he saw that it broke her heart. She did not want him to die. It was as if a single thread had suddenly snared his heart, stronger than elvish steel, and connected with hers. He suddenly loathed himself for disappointing her, for causing her pain._

"_Please be careful," she begged, examining her slippers instead of meeting his eyes, and with tenderness, he took a step toward her. Softly cupping her chin, he forced her to meet his eyes._

"_I _must_ go," he told her earnestly, his voice aching with an apology. Suddenly, he didn't want to leave her. He never wanted to leave her side._

_He wasn't sure how it happened, how it began. Something simply compelled him to action and in the next moment he was kissing her. A deep intense kiss unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was as if he had been made by Bema to kiss this woman. And she was responding in kind._

_Her arms flew around his shoulders and held him tightly, surprising him with their strength. Her curvy body pressed along the length of his, igniting a fire deep inside him and before he knew it she was laid out on the table as he leaned over her._

_Afterwards they did not speak of what had happened between them. He did not ask if she had felt the same overwhelming need he had. He did not ask if she had felt as if it had been a divine intervention that had led him into the Houses to meet her, as if they had always been meant to meet. He did not ask if she felt that they had been made for one another as he did. He did not know if he would be able to accept if she didn't._

_But he was fairly certain she had._

_Instead he held her close, embracing this moment; the quiet before the storm. It was a small moment of peace before the world intruded and he would once again leave to fight._

_They lay on ratty, moth-eaten blankets in the corner of the storage closet, her head on his shoulder as his fingers carded through her long silky hair. Her hand on his chest drew his attention and his fingers paused for a moment, caught on a snarl in her hair. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, captivating his attention._

"_Promise me you'll come back." A steely determination had entered her eyes and he felt compelled to obey her._

"_Will there be something to return to?" He barely dared to breath, afraid her answer would be no. For an agonizing moment, she said nothing, her eyes simply piercing his. Then her lips spread in the most breathtakingly beautiful smile he had ever seen._

"_Come back in one piece, and we'll see."_

He had left an hour later to return to his men, his mind swimming with misty memories of her. If he'd had it his way he would never have walked out of that storage room. Or he would have brought her with him, but duty had called. He had an army to organize and she'd had wounded to tend to. It was not until he was nearly before the Black Gates that he remembered he had never learned her name.

Now as he lay in his lonely chambers he regretted it. Even if he had never found her, a name would have meant the world to him. He had simply forgotten. It wasn't in any attempt to be callous or cruel. The connection he had felt between them, that incredible feeling that they were tied together, as if she had been made to complete him had driven names from his mind. He had felt a familiarity with her that went beyond anything he had ever experienced with another person. What they had shared had been so many times deeper than that and something as trivial as names had not even occurred to him at the time.

Now he hated himself for being so stupid.

Perhaps she had been intimidated by him. He could only assume she was one of the common folk. Despite her otherworldly elegance and beauty, she had been assisting the healers in the city. All nobility had been sent to the coast in Belfalas to wait out the fighting. Perhaps his sudden rise to royalty had frightened her, like it had him.

He never should have become king, he knew. It was only through the early deaths of his godfather, Jiraiya, and his cousin Nagato, that the crown of the Mark had fallen to him. And it had been a heavy burden to bear.

"It would have been easier, with her," he told his empty room.

As his heart ached, his mind turned to distraction. He considered Sasuke's proposal.

A change of scenery was in order, the Uchiha had declared. Now that the world was beginning to return to some semblance of normal, Naruto's council could be left to tend to the day to day goings on of the kingdom. Under the guise of a trade negotiation, Sasuke had invited Naruto to visit Dol Amroth, in Belfalas.

"Come see the sea," he had suggested. "Maybe it will clear your mind." Naruto was severely tempted to accept. He knew nothing could ever rid him of the memory of her, but perhaps a month away would help him forget his council and their constant baying for a bride and heir.

Restlessly, he left his bed and slipped from his room. At this time of night, Meduseld was silent and he slipped through the halls like a ghost. The streets of Edoras were no different and the king slipped through the doors of the stable without any notice. Moving with practiced quiet, Naruto walked along the stalls to the farthest one and peeked in. Kurama met his gaze squarely.

Slipping through the gate, Naruto released a small chuckle and ruffled the horse's forelock. "I guess you knew I was coming, huh?" Kurama glared at him with one amber eye, as if to say _Obviously._ Not the least put off by his horse's foul mood, Naruto grabbed a curry comb and began brushing through the russet fur, if only for something to do.

"What would you say to an adventure?" he asked casually. Kurama's head twisted to look at him skeptically.

_Is this to find your ridiculous woman?_

"Heh, unfortunately not," Naruto replied. "I'm sure she's long gone by now. Sasuke thinks I need a break and I'm inclined to agree with him."

Kurama turned his head away, losing interest, and Naruto knew it was the closest he would get to approval from his taciturn horse. In the morning, he would begin making preparations.

XXX

The sea was beyond anything he could have imagined. Its vast size was unlike anything he had ever seen. He had heard foreigners describe the plains of the Mark as a sea of grass but even the open fields that he loved had nothing on this incredible empty sea. It was said that the land of the Valar lay on the other side, but looking out, Naruto doubted there was an end to all that water.

"Naruto!"

Turning his back on the crashing waves, Naruto spotted Kiba waving at him.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starving!" the rider yelled over the noise of the sea and with a nod of acceptance, Naruto climbed the beach.

Together, the two friends wandered through the streets of Dol Amroth, looking for a suitable place to take their midday meal. Seemingly at random, Kiba selected a higher end tavern and steered his friend through the front door.

The taproom was well lit, but still seemed dim after the bright sunshine from outside and Naruto had to take a moment to allow his eyes to adjust. Although the room was buzzing with the usual noise found in a popular tavern, there was a small group of five or six men, dressed as sailors, seated at the central table, calling for the food jovially. They all seemed to be in good cheer and well into their cups, but the other patrons mostly ignored them, as fools are often ignored.

As Naruto searched the room for an available seat, his eyes were drawn to the bar, is if by some spell.

She came through the door like a summer breeze, an overloaded tray of hot food in her hands. Her cheeks were flushed red from the heat of the kitchen and he could not keep his mind from remembering images of her blushing for other reasons. She wore a simple green dress with an apron over the front, although it was spotless.

The entire world stopped when he saw her, along with his heart.

The table in the center let up a chorus of cheers when they spotted her, the men banging their tankards on the table and making a ruckus. As she placed the tray on the table one of the bolder men grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his lap and mashing a messy kiss to her cheek. Naruto took a step forward but was blocked by a limping old man on his way out the door. Before he could get clear, she had struggled free. The man hadn't put up much of a fight, releasing her good-naturedly, but he had swatted at her rear.

The stone wall of a barman came to her rescue before Naruto could fight through the mob.

"I'll thank you to keep yer hands te' yerself," he growled, cleaning his enormous hands on a ratty cloth as he stepped between the girl and the table of rowdy soldiers.

The man that had grabbed her scoffed and glanced to his friends in amusement. "It was just a bit of fun," he shrugged, but the barman was not to be ignored.

"My girls are off limits. Keep yer hands where they belong or you'll be asked te' leave." The sailor rolled his eyes but agreed, turning to his food and the barman ushered her away. The occupants that had taken an interest in the confrontation turned back to their food and the loud buzz of conversation that had died out picked back up again.

"Pricks," Kiba grumbled, jostling Naruto's shoulder. "Let's get a seat at the bar."

Naruto only gave a vague nod, not really listening and made a beeline for her. She was collecting tankards behind the bar, speaking to the barman.

"Thank you, Brom. But I was fine." She smiled at him fondly and he nudged her shoulder before looking to the rowdy group in the middle of the taproom sourly.

"No need to be thankin' me, Hinata." Naruto's mind froze again.

Hinata. _Hinata!_ He knew her name! His heart felt like it was going to explode.

"Yer a good girl," the barman continued. "You shouldn't have to be puttin' up with that sort o'behavior. They should know better by now. They come in every few months."

"They do know better," she mused, cleaning a mug before placing it on her tray. "But Toneri has been trying to court me for longer than he's been coming here. Unfortunately, he's the determined type." With an amused look shared between the two, she picked up her tray of mugs and disappeared through a door behind the bar, leaving Naruto feeling as if all of the light had gone out of the world.

Oblivious to his king's focused state of mind, Kiba steered him onto a stool at the bar and ordered a tankard of mead. Naruto's eyes did not leave the door. Before long, his diligence was rewarded when she swept through the door again.

Her hair was braided back to keep it out of her face, and then left free to tumble down her back. It was a style common in the Mark but rarely seen in Gondor. It was a small detail, insignificant really, but it made Naruto's heart leap. Perhaps she had thought of him as much as he had thought of her. Before he realized what he was doing, he had jumped off his stool and crossed to her.

"Hinata." Her name on his lips felt like the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. She turned from the table she was clearing, a ready smile on her face that was gone the instant she recognized him.

"Naruto-" she breathed before choking her words off. Her knuckles were white as she clutched her tray in front of her like a shield.

"You know my name?" he couldn't help but asking. It seemed unfair she had known his name these past three years but he had never known hers.

"You're the king of Rohan. How could I not?" she asked after a brief pause. She looked like a cornered deer, her gorgeous eyes wide and panicked as he stood before her. Her face was pale and she was still holding on to that tray like a lifeline.

"You never told me yours. I've done nothing but wonder who you are since the day we met." She glanced away for a moment, biting her lip nervously.

"I have work to do." Before he could act she had darted past him and quickly headed for the door behind the bar.

After three years of longing, he wasn't going to let her get away that easily. He stomped after her, and when he did not catch her before she slipped through the door, he followed her, consequences be damned. There were only two young kitchen maids, the older of the two barely even old enough to court, in the kitchen, pounding dough into shape. Both looked up, startled by the large man that had charged through the door and caught hold of Hinata's arm, but he ignored them.

"I would speak with you," he murmured quietly, so their audience would not hear. She struggled against his grip and for fear of hurting her, he released her.

"There's really nothing to say," she replied, flustered. She avoided meeting his eyes but she did not turn from him. He suspected she wanted to keep an eye on him so she could evade him easier.

"Why did you not wait for me?" he asked, the desperation to know her answer leaking into his voice. "I promised I would return to you." She breathed out sharply through her nose, letting her tray fall to the counter with a clatter as she placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyes to the ceiling, as if asking if this was really happening to her.

When she did not answer him, he tried a different approach. "Are you married?" his temper was beginning to show now, frustrated that she would not answer him, and he was vaguely aware of the younger girl slipping through the door into the taproom.

"No," she admitted, still not meeting his eyes. "No, I am not married."

"Then what?" he pleaded to know but before she could answer the door to the taproom exploded open, the barman storming in.

"What in the name of the Valar is going on in here?" he roared, advancing on Naruto. Behind him, Naruto spotted the kitchen girl cowering against the doorframe. "I'll not tolerate anyone harrasin' my girls. Show yerself out or I'll do it for you."

"Mama! What's all the shoutin'?" As if to add to the chaos, a toddler darted in from the back door to the yard, stumbling to Hinata and tugging on her skirts.

As it had when he had spotted Hinata again, Naruto's world stopped.

The boy could not have been more than three. He had a round face and bright blue eyes the likes of which Naruto had never seen. And his blond hair was a tangled mess on top of his head. There was no way that boy was full-blooded Gondorian. The world seemed to click into place when those bright blue eyes turned and met his squarely.

"Jiraiya, I told you to stay outside," Hinata scolded, trying to steer the boy that was clearly her son back out the door but he resisted, his eyes shining as he looked up to the tall king before him. Naruto was trying to wrap his head around this tiny little human before him. She had named him Jiraiya. That could not be a coincidence. It was a Rohirric name, for a Rohirric boy.

"You've got hair like mine!" the little boy exclaimed, pointing to Naruto's bright hair. "I've never met someone with hair like mine before!" The boy was practically dancing in his excitement, slipping out of his mother's hold and dashing to stand at Naruto's feet.

"Jiraiya, _out!_" Hinata commanded harshly, and the toddler flinched, turning over his shoulder to see his furious mother. "_Now!_" Galvanized into obedience, Jiraiya ran for the door but stopped just outside the threshold and leaned against the frame, peaking at the stranger.

Naruto did not resist when the barman roughly grabbed the neck of his tunic and steered him out the door.

The barman heaved him through the front door of the tavern and still shocked by what he had seen in the kitchen, Naruto lost his balance, slamming into the cobblestones of the street. Kiba was quickly on his heels, shouting Rohirric abuses to the barman as he helped heave Naruto to his feet.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked, glaring at Naruto.

"I found her." He wasn't answering Kiba so much as marveling at the fact himself. He had found her! After three years of longing and wondering what had happened to her and wishing he could see her again, he had finally found her! Hinata! He _knew her name!_ Suddenly he began to laugh. Great, chest-heaving laughs.

Kiba roughly grabbed Naruto's shoulders, forcing him to stand straight and meet his eyes. "Naruto! What in the name of the mearas is going on?" Still overwhelmingly giddy, Naruto brushed his friend's hands away and turned to look back at the tavern, as if he could see her through the walls.

"Don't worry about it. Go back to the palace and tell Sasuke I won't be making it to dinner." When his friend did not immediately leave Naruto made it a command. "That's an order from your king, Kiba." It wasn't often that Naruto pulled rank on his friend and there was very little threat in his voice, but he made sure Kiba knew he meant business. Still bewildered and slightly worried for the sanity of his king, Kiba left him.

Knowing he would not be allowed inside the tavern again, king or no king, Naruto perched on the low wall across the street and settled in to wait. It wasn't long before an opportunity for distraction came along. At the far corner of the tavern, a little blond head peeked around the corner curiously.

Naruto wanted nothing more than to spend the entire day simply drinking in the sight of that little boy. The revelation of his existence was like seeing the lights of Edoras after a long and painful patrol. Easing into a comfortable position on the low wall, he threw the boy an encouraging smile and waited to see what he would do. It took the better part of half an hour, but eventually, the little boy gathered his courage and ventured across the street.

"Hello," Naruto greeted in the common tongue. The boy stood some feet away from him, solemnly watching him, although his curiosity could not be mistaken. He raised one little hand bashfully in response to Naruto's cheerful welcome. "What's your name?" Naruto prompted, gesturing to the space of wall next to him, inviting the boy to sit. He noticed that without the reassuring familiar presence of his mother, the boy was considerably shier.

"Jiraiya," he mumbled quietly, still cautious around the foreign stranger. Again, Naruto's heart gave a joyful leap. She had named him after his uncle!

"That's a good name," he told the boy. "You share it with a great king." The little boy's eyes grew wide in wonder, and his shyness began to disappear.

"Really?" he asked, taking a step closer and leaning against Naruto's knee.

"Yes," he laughed, amused. "It's a very good name. You should be proud of it." Jiraiya's face lit up like a bonfire.

"What is your name?" he asked, and Naruto smiled at him again.

"My friends call me Naruto," he answered easily. Jiraiya asked another question, about his hair this time, and then another about his eyes, and he kept asking questions. Before Naruto knew it, hours had passed and the sun was beginning to set.

"Jiraiya!" Both Naruto and Jiraiya looked up at the voice to see the barman standing in the doorway of his tavern, looking back inside as he shouted something. "Get over here, boy! Yer mother's been lookin' everywhere for you." Hinata appeared in the doorway behind the barman, a small coat in her hands, which she quickly ushered Jiraiya into, taking no notice of the figure across the street.

With a quick goodbye to the barman, she scooped her son into her arms and turned down the street. Waiting until the door to the tavern had closed so the barman would not follow him, Naruto was off the wall and trailing after Hinata.

"Hinata!" he called, jogging to catch up to her. Jiraiya waved at him over her shoulder before she turned to see who had called her. Once she saw it was him she turned on her heel and sped away, ignoring him as he followed again.

"Hinata, please! Talk to me!" he begged, following her as she marched down the street. Skipping in front of her, he forced her to a stop. "At least explain to me why you will have nothing to do with me." She met his stare with a defiant one of her own. He hardened his own features, making sure she understood he would not take no for an answer. Her shoulder sagged a little and her features softened after a few tense moments.

"Follow me."

She led him through the dusky streets of Dol Amroth, down toward the beach, to a small cottage. It was tiny, smaller even that the tiniest homes in Edoras, but it looked warm and comfortable and inviting. Jiraiya had smiled at him over her shoulder for part of the walk but before long had dropped off to sleep in his mother's arms. "Stay out here," she commanded before slipping inside. He assumed she was putting Jiraiya to bed, and was proven right when she slipped out the front door again minutes later, her arms empty.

"What do you want to know?" she asked quietly, staring at her feet.

"Is he mine?" The crash of the waves was the only thing that answered him for a moment before she nodded her head weakly. "Why did you not wait for me?"

She refused to meet his eyes, looking anywhere but at him. "It wouldn't have been right." He did not believe her excuse for a moment.

"Why did you not come when you learned you were with child? I would have looked after you." Had she believed he would not want her? That he would not want their son?

"What wouldn't have been right?" he asked heatedly, annoyed by her silence. "I know you felt the same as I. We were meant to find one another!"

"You're a king!" she shot back, finally meeting his eyes with fire. "You should be off courting princesses and wearing crowns. Not chasing after a gutter snipe."

"Is that the best you have?" he guffawed. "You thought I would not want you because you aren't a princess?" Her silence spoke for her. "I shouldn't be king. I would give everything I had to have my uncle back again. I would walk through hell if it meant my cousin would live. Do you really think something as trivial as a title would keep me from you?"

"Think of your people, then," she insisted, determined to deny him. "Do they not deserve a princess as their queen?"

"Things are different in the Mark. We judge a person on his own character, not the title of his father. As long as they knew I loved you, they would welcome you."

"You don't love me," she murmured, looking out to the waves. "You hardly even know me."

Naruto's temper began to rise again. Why could she not just _see_? He grabbed her arm roughly and spun her to face him, as he had in the tavern. "I have thought of nothing _but_ you for the last three years. This is not a trivial infatuation, Hinata." She would not meet his eyes and as tenderly as he could, he lifted her chin to see her face. "I _know_ you feel it to. There is something between us that is greater than man."

"What of Jiraiya? Will your people accept a bastard son as your heir?" He could tell she was grasping at straws and he smiled at her. He would win her yet. She wanted this as badly as he did, even if she wouldn't admit it.

"He wouldn't really be a bastard if you married me." Her eyes finally met his, wide in astonishment. "He _is_ my son," Naruto reminded her. "If you will allow it, he will be my heir as well."

She was still reluctant and he made a bold move. With one had still on her arm to hold her close, and his other supporting her chin, he brushed his lips against hers. "Please, Hinata. Come with me."

Naruto didn't know what did it, if it was his unrelenting insistence, her own will, or Bema himself compelling her to take the right path but he didn't care. As long as he had her, he would survive anything.

"You did come back in one piece," she admitted, breathless against his lips. "I suppose I'll give you your chance."

He swept her into the air, spinning her around, the beautiful sound of her laugh echoing in his ears.

**XXX**

**I told you this one would be longer. It is just over 7000 words. Like I said, I LOVE LOTR and I went nuts over this prompt.**

**I know I also took it in a slightly different direction than most have done. Most make Sasuke and elf, Sakura a dwarf, and put Naruto in Aragorn's position, with Hinata as Arwen. While these are all very good character connections, I saw others. Sasuke, as the last Uchiha was just begging to be Aragorn, the last of the Dunedain. And Naruto's nature fits Eomer's incredibly well, I feel: a generally happy and impossible to discourage man that has a bit of a temper problem. Also, Eomer is my favorite character from LOTR. I know he ends up with a princess, Lothiriel, and I absolutely love that pairing but this is what came to mind first. I am highly considering revisiting this project and making an EomerXLothiriel version of Naruto and Hinata, because I love the idea and the pairing has so little known about it, it is so easy to play with. I think Lothiriel and Hinata would have a lot in common to.**

**Let me know what you think! Did the characters fit in the positions I placed them? What did you like? What did you hate? What didn't fit? What's missing? Please! Let me know! This was the prompt I was most looking forward to for the entire month and I'll be honest, I may not keep going if no one cares. I've written the one **_**I **_**care about most, so I'm happy.**

**Heaven knows I have plenty of other projects I should be working on right now, so let me know if you guys want me to keep going.**


	10. Day 10: Dating

**Holy cow, Guys. I am so sorry! This is so late and I feel so terrible. I know I kinda fell of the face of the earth for the last couple of weeks. Life kind of decided to try and kill me. I got really sick and then my personal life decided to blow up in my face and it was just all sorts of bad and not at all conducive to writing. I am so sorry!**

**Thank you so much for all of the support last chapter! I am glad to hear you enjoyed it for the most part, and I am going to do my very best to finish all of the prompts, I promise!**

**One little thing I want to address before we start this chapter. For the most part, I am going to try and keep this series canon. That means that I am going to be using Bold and Himawari as often as possible. However, last chapter, I very, very, very specifically chose to name their son Jiraiya. If you know anything about LOTR, you will know that Eomer, who I based Naruto's character on, was the nephew of the King of the Mark, Théoden. I made an allusion to the fact that Jiraiya was supposed to be his counterpart in my little AU. Neji was not in that one at all, and since Bolt's name is sort of a nod to Neji, it doesn't make sense to name their son after a character that didn't exist. Also, Eomer looked at Théoden sort of as a father figure after his parents died. The king took him and his sister into his own house and literally treated them like his children, not his niece and nephew, after their parents died. They were incredibly close. Naruto and Jiraiya had the same relationship.**

**Now, Hinata, after their little tryst, gets scared because she just slept with the new King of a foreign country and runs. Then she finds out she was pregnant and knows that a bastard child would not help his unstable country so keeps it a secret. However, when said baby is born, she wants him to known that he has Rohirric heritage, even if she has no intention of him ever knowing his father. So she names him a Rohirric name, and the only one she really knows is Rohirric, besides Naruto, is Jiraiya. It's supposed to be an honorary thing from her, because even though she didn't marry Naruto, she considers herself a Rohirric woman. She has no intention of ever marrying and dresses, does her hair and acts like a Rohirric woman, so she names her son a Rohirric name.**

**It was very specifically chosen, so when I get reviews saying, ha, I just changed his name to Bolt, it is frustrating and a little insulting. From here on out, yes, I will probably use Bolt and Himawari, but for that one, their child is named Jiraiya. It's also because their son is NOT Bolt. He doesn't act like Bolt, he wasn't supposed to be Bolt, he **_**is not Bolt!**_** If you don't like that, that's fine, but please respect the fact that this is my story and I do put a lot of thought into it and the decisions I make. Even if you do decide to change stuff as you read it, don't tell me. I don't really want to know. If you want to change something, write your own story, that's the point of fanfiction.**

**Now that my rant is over (sorry, it might have become longer than the actual chapter :P) please enjoy the new chapter!**

**NaruHina Month Day 10**

**Dating**

Ino rolled her eyes as she passed the gaggle of whispering girls. The rumor mills were certainly working overtime. It wasn't like it was news anymore.

Naruto Uzumaki, hero of the Fourth Shinobi War, was courting the Hyuga heiress. The young couple had been together for nearly two months now! Ino could gossip with the very best of them, but even she wasn't sure what they could still be talking about anymore.

Leaning against the wall to the restaurant, Sai smiled and waved at her, one hand tucked into his pocket as he waited. Deciding to ignore the small-minded nosy civilians, Ino smiled back and hurried to meet him.

"Hey, are they here yet?" she asked as she stopped in front of him.

Sai shook his head, his smile still firmly in place. "Naruto was sparring with Sakura and wanted to clean up before he picked Hinata up. He should be along shortly." Ino nodded and leaned against the wall beside him.

"It's nice to see him put some effort in," she mused, turning her face up to soak in a little of the afternoon sunlight. When Sai looked at her curiously she laughed lightly. "Naruto's never been one to care what other people think of him. It's nice to see him trying hard to impress Hinata. She deserves it."

Before long, Sai spotted the other couple, waving to them as well, and Ino turned to look. Naruto had an arm slung over Hinata's shoulders and as Ino watched he leaned down to say something quietly in her ear as he waved back at Sai absently. Hinata had an arm around Naruto's waist and she held him a little closer as she listened carefully before laughing. Her other hand was entwined with Naruto's hanging from her shoulder and Ino had to admire the glowing happy smile on her face.

"Sorry we're late," Naruto apologized as he and Hinata followed Sai and Ino into the barbecue restaurant.

"No worries," Ino breezed away easily. It wasn't until they reached their table that a needling nervousness settled in her stomach. She envied the comfortable familiarity between Naruto and Hinata as she watched them. Why was she so nervous? It was just a date with Sai! But as she slid into the booth next to the quiet artist she couldn't help worry she would do something silly.

_You're being ridiculous!_ She scolded herself. It was just Sai, and it was just a date. There was nothing to be nervous about. Ino was never uncomfortable in social situations and she would be fine.

She froze when a hand brushed against hers under the table and hesitantly closed around her fingers. It was warm and felt nice and she couldn't keep a blush from her face as she glanced at Sai from the corner of her eye.

He was completely calm as he perused the menu, like he hadn't just made a huge move and held her hand.

Across the table Hinata smiled at her knowingly and leaned her head against Naruto's shoulder. The irony was not lost on Ino.

After all of the relationship advice she had offered the heiress over the years, she finally understood just how Hinata must have felt beside Naruto. Shy, timid, giddy, excited, happy, and so many other emotions all rolling around and tumbling over one another. Taking encouragement from the other girl, Ino smiled back and closed her hand around Sai's. She was grateful Hinata had suggested a double date.

**XXX**

**Okay, so I know this one isn't strictly NaruHina, but I've already done a one-shot on them dating and couldn't think of anything else with them specifically. So I came up with this. I hope you enjoyed it and will let me know what you think! Now I just need to catch up on the prompts! Wish me luck!**

**Happy reading! Tenneyshoes**


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